Drive assistance apparatus

• US 8,666,644 B2
• Filed: 12/25/2008
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEEKS, MARTIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/129,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20110245993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/33, 701/117
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Disclosed is a drive assistance apparatus capable of assisting safer driving of a vehicle. The drive assistance apparatus that includes a position detection unit detecting a positional relationship between a preceding vehicle present in front of a subject vehicle and the subject vehicle and executes a drive assistance control assisting the driving of the subject vehicle according to the detected results, wherein the drive assistance apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires signal device information regarding a signal device on a traveling path of the subject vehicle and a setting unit that sets execution conditions for executing the drive assistance control based on the signal device information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Claims

1. A drive assistance apparatus configured to execute a drive assistance control to assist driving a subject vehicle, the drive assistance apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a positional relationship between obstacles present in front of the subject vehicle and the subject vehicle itself;

a communication device configured to acquire signal device information regarding signal devices on a traveling path of the subject vehicle; and

a controller configured to set a threshold value for determining whether to execute the drive assistance control based on the signal device information and to execute the drive assistance control in response to the threshold value being exceeded,

wherein;

the signal device information includes switching information regarding a switching of a signal type; and

the controller is configured to change the threshold value based on the switching information.

2. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an inattentiveness detection unit configured to detect an inattentiveness of a driver driving the subject vehicle,

wherein the controller is configured to set the threshold value when the inattentiveness detection unit detects the inattentiveness of the driver.

3. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the sensor is a millimeter-wave radar.

4. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the sensor is an image sensor.

5. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the inattentiveness detection unit is a monitoring camera configured to image and analyze the face of the driver.

6. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the threshold value is a numerical value based on road conditions near the subject vehicle.

7. The drive assistance apparatus of claim 6, wherein

road conditions include the proximity of a preceding vehicle.